Sports

1,000: Viking Grant Sagan reaches prep scoring milestone

Grant Sagan holds the basketball he used to score his 1000th point Tuesday vs. Oelwein. The first 10 minutes of the Vinton-Shellsburg/Oelwein basketball game on Tuesday were among the worst of the year for Grant Sagan and the Vikings. They trailed by as much as 11 to Oelwein, and for Grant and his teammates, the ball did not fall through the hoop like it usually does. The Vikings were still down by 8 when someone passed Grant the ball in the second quarter.

10 years together: Vikings' hoops success began with huge win in 2003

ngs, in 2003: Chase, Max K., Ben Akers, Chris, Grant. Back: Max G., Brach Schmelzer, Kelyn, Nolan. The success of the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings 2012-13 basketball team has not come as a surprise -- not at all -- to the parents and coaches who watched and taught them first and know them best. That's because the team has been turning heads, inspiring cheers and bringing the community together to celebrate basketball success for a decade.

Sagan reaches 1K points; Vikes finish perfect after defeating Oelwein, 65-50

Grant Sagan scored his 1,000th point in his last regular season high school game, as the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings overcame a rough start to defeat Oelwein, 65-50. Early missed shots and turnovers by the Vikings, along with three-pointers by the Huskies, gave the visitors an early 17-6 lead. The Vikings trailed by nine after the first quarter, at by 11 early in the second.

Viking Max Wehage advances to State Wrestling Meet

Max Wehage will compete in the state tourney this week. Vinton-Shellsburg wrestler Max Wehage (106 lbs) will represent his team at the State Wrestling Meet on Feb. 14, competing in the Class 2A bracket. Max finished second at the Solon District event, to Brock Rathbun of Center Point-Urbana. Both advance to the State meet in Des Moines. The Viking sophomore is 39-11 on the year. Click HERE to see the Class 2A bracket at 106 pounds.

Champions! Vikings win WaMaC with 72-56 victory over Anamosa

WaMaC Conference Champions: Viking scoring leader Grant Sagan was the first player to cut the net. For three quarters, the Anamosa Raiders played the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings point for point. But the first quarter belonged all to the Vikings, as they built a 15-point lead on their home court, and won by 16, 72-56. Chris Merchant's 3-pointer with 30 seconds in the first quarter gave the Vikings an 18-3 lead over the Raiders. Grant Sagan led the Vikings with 25 points, while Max Griffith scored 20, most of them coming on second-half 3-pointers that kept Anamosa from catching up.

Viking Merchant signs with Ellsworth; to join Panthers on gridiron

Viking Chris Merchant signed a Letter of Intent to play football for Ellsworth Community College. After leading the Vinton-Shellsburg football team in rushing yards last season, Viking Chris Merchant hopes to carry the ball at the college level next year. Merchant, joined by his parents, Scott and Annette, signed a National NCAA Letter of Intent with Ellsworth Community College on Wednesday. Viking coaches Jim Womochil and Aric Chvala also witnessed Merchant sign his collegiate letter.

Three Union athletes accept college offers

Union's Kylie Powell, Trev Hadachek and Josh Clark made college commitments this week. Three Union High School student-athletes who made commitments to play college athletics on Wednesday.   Kylie Powell, senior, signed a national letter of intent to play soccer at UNI.   Trev Hadachek, senior, committed to Iowa as a preferred walk-on. He turned down four earlier FCS offers from Eastern  Illinois (sophomore offer), South Dakota State, North Dakota, and UNI.

Post Prom basket raffle continues

VS families enter the Post Prom basket raffle during Friday's basketball game. The Vinton-Shellsburg Post-Prom Committee is raffling baskets as part of its fund-raising campaign. The winning names will be drawn on Feb. 12, after the last of the regular season basketball games. There is a basket for V-S fans, as well as one each for UNI, Iowa and Iowa State. There is also a basket for those who love baking and those who love coffee.

Vikings start fast, win low-scoring contest vs. Williamsburg

Chase Overton scores two for the Vikings. There is only one undefeated boys basketball team in Class 3A in Iowa: Vinton-Shellsburg. The WaMaC West champion Vikings jumped to a quick 15-5 lead over Williamsburg on their home court Tuesday en route to a 55-43 win. Grant Sagan scored 11 of those first 15 for V-S, and led his team with 20 points. The Vikings held the Raiders to 15 first-half points and went to the locker room leading 30-15.

VS wrestling: Indee defeats Vikings

Independence (INDE) 54.0 Vinton-Shellsburg (VISH) 14.0 126: Caleb Studebaker, INDE, dec. Nick Hyland, VISH, 9-2. 132: Nathan Merchant, VISH, maj. dec. Elliott Ryan, INDE, 16-3. 138: John Morkel, INDE, tech. fall Hunter Vogt, VISH, 6:00 18-0. 145: Chase Straw, INDE, pinned Parker Oltrogge, VISH, 1:32. 152: Riley Hopkins, VISH, dec. Jake Juhl, INDE, 3-2.